A COUNCIL official has apologised for ‘confusing wording’ which led to hopes that a new location had been confirmed for Helensburgh’s skatepark.

A local authority report on the conclusion of Argyll and Bute Council’s Hermitage Park project said that the risks of locating the skatepark at the town site had been deemed acceptable, and that the council would write to the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

But Fergus Murray, the council’s head of economic growth, insisted that the two were not linked, with a local councillor adding that the report had been “mixed up”.

The discussion took place at a meeting of the authority’s environment, development and infrastructure committee on Thursday, September 12.

Mr Murray said: “Hermitage Park has been completed from an economic services point of view for a number of years, and we are making the final drawdown to close the project financially.

“I know the wording has been interpreted by some as a decision having been made in relocating the skatepark. This is not the case.

“The wording referred to the closure of the project and I apologise for any confusion that has arisen from that.”

Councillor Gary Mulvaney (Conservative, Helensburgh Central) said: “I agree with you that the paragraph is a little bit mixed up at joining up a number of different strands.

“I am looking at the first sentence around the risks of the potential location – and it is to be made clear it is a potential location as no decision has been made.

“Are you comfortable that the risks of moving it to any place, or leaving it where it is, have been looked at and are within acceptability?”

Mr Murray responded: “I have to apologise for the wording in it, as that was pertaining to the financial closure of the project and drawing down the final money.

“They have accepted it on the understanding that no decision has been made on the skatepark. That would be subject to risks for any location.”

The document, first published by the council the previous week, said: “The risk regarding the potential location of a skatepark in Hermitage Park has been deemed acceptable and subsequently a letter has been drafted for consideration by National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF).

“Subject to approval by NLHF the project can now proceed with closure and drawdown of the final funding of £100,578. NLHF are the main funder of the project, and had earlier confirmed that locating the skatepark in Hermitage Park may breach the purposes of their £2.3m grant.”